61,517 migrants and refugees reach Europe by sea in 2018;108 to Cyprus

More than 1,500 people have lost their lives this year in their effort to reach Europe by sea, while according to data by the International Organisation for Migration, between January 1 and August 12, a total of 61,517 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea.

This compares with 118,436 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, and 265,640 in 2016.

In 2018 in the corresponding period, 1,524 people died or are missing. Their majority (1,111) were lost in the Central Mediterranean route to Italy, 308 through the western Mediterranean route to Spain, and 105 through the eastern Mediterranean route to Greece and Cyprus.

A total 108 individuals came to Cyprus by sea between January 1 to August 12, while in 2017 their number was 273.

In Malta, their number was 243 in 2018 (no data available for 2017), in Greece it was 16,834 (12,191 last year), in Spain 25,101 (8,677 last year) and Italy 19,231 (97,295 in 2017). It is noted that these figures only concern arrivals by sea.

In 2017 between 1st of January and 12th of August 2,428 people died at sea.